LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Allan Edgar PEARCE
Service No: 416280
Born: Adelaide SA, 19 July 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 28 April 1941
Unit: No. 611 Squadron (RAF), RAF Biggin Hill, Kent
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 611 Squadron Spitfire aircraft BS318), off the English coast, 11 February 1943, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Edgar Wakeum Pearce and Florence Trenerry Pearce, of Malvern, South Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unley SA
Remembered: Panel 193, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
At 1520 hours on 11 February 1943, White Section with Flight Sergeant Pearce (White 1) Leader flying Spitfire BS318, and Sergeant Davren (RAF) (White 2), took off from Biggin Hill for a low level operational patrol. When patrolling at zero feet about ten miles off Beachy Head, White 2 saw his Leader’s aircraft touch the water and immediately disappear. White 2 gave a mayday and began a search followed immediately by an organised search but no trace of Flight Sergeant Pearce was found. There was no enemy aircraft in the vicinity at the time. In 1948 it was recorded that Flight Sergeant Pearce had lost his life at sea.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/32/31